Is Nhtsa Equipped To Ensure The Safety Of The Vehicles We Drive?

Established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is dedicated to “achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety… [working] daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant causes,” according to the agency’s website. Over the years, as computers have come to control many components of automobiles, NHTSA’s ability to investigate potential safety defects has become somewhat compromised, explains a lawyer. The agency’s handling of the investigations into unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles—a phenomenon that led to numerous car accidents, the lawsuits from which have inundated an Orange County court—and of battery fires in Chevrolet Volts suggest the agency’s lack of technological acumen may not be the only reason it is no longer equipped to ensure the safety of the vehicles we drive.
As the components of vehicles become increasingly dependant on computers and sophisticated electronics systems, the potential to prevent auto accidents grows, as evidenced by the developing of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications devices. However, such technologies, especially when combined, create complex systems, complicating the task of attributing a defect to a specific component of the vehicle. A lack of understanding of these systems, even individually, further compounds the problem.

When NHTSA was inundated with reports of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles in 2009 and 2010, its ability to accurately pinpoint the cause of the phenomenon was called into question. Although its initial investigation attributed unintended acceleration to driver error and accelerator pedals that became obstructed by floor mats or stuck, public criticism of its findings prompted the agency to commission the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to conduct a thorough investigation into whether the vehicles’ electronic throttle control systems (ETCs) contributed to unintended acceleration. NASA concluded that issues with the ETCs did not present a plausible explanation for unintended acceleration.

NHTSA also commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to review its investigation of unintended acceleration and make recommendations for how the agency could improve its safety oversight of automotive electronics systems. While NRC did not find NHTSA’s investigation into unintended acceleration problematic, it expressed concerns about the agency’s lack of understanding of the vehicles’ electronics systems, a fact highlighted by its failure to convince the public as to the accuracy of its findings. NRC recommended that NHTSA better equip itself to understand and access the increasingly complex systems and functionalities of the modern vehicle.
While NHTSA may not have evinced strong technological acumen in its communications with the media concerning the cause of unintended acceleration, its lack of transparency in handling this and other investigations has also cast doubt on its commitment to public safety. After the agency released NASA’s findings in February 2011, it received a complaint of unintended acceleration in the Prius of a government official. Although NHTSA investigators confirmed in written reports and videos that this case of unintended acceleration was not attributable to sticky accelerator pedals or faulty floor mats, the agency opted not to investigate the matter further. It also chose not to provide the auto safety advocacy firm Safety Research and Strategies (SRS) with the entire report on or videos of its investigation of the Prius, prompting SRS to file a freedom-of-information lawsuit against NHTSA.
The agency showed a similar lack of transparency during its investigation of the Chevrolet Volt. When one of the vehicle’s battery packs ignited into flames after a crash test, the agency waited months to reveal the potential safety risk to the public while it investigated. In response, safety advocate groups, some members of Congress, and the media suspected NHTSA may have covered up the incident out of its commitment to promoting the safety and efficiency of electric vehicles.

Considering that unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles resulted in numerous car accidents and extensive litigation in Orange County and other states, NHTSA should have informed the pubic immediately of any risks associated with the Volt, explains a lawyer. Instilling confidence in the public in its ability to ensure the safety of the nation’s vehicles will require not only a better understanding of the complex technologies underlying their defects but also greater transparency throughout the investigation process.

By: Larry Drexel

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Larry Drexel is a Public Relations manager. To obtain free, informative books or articles he suggests visiting Orange County car accident lawyer.